Computer-based speech-processing systems have become widely used for a variety of purposes. Some speech-processing systems provide Interactive Voice Response (IVR) between the system and a caller/user. Examples of applications performed by IVR systems include automated attendants for personnel directories, and customer service applications. Customer service applications may include systems for assisting a caller to obtain airline flight information or reservations, or stock quotes.
IVR systems interact with users by playing prompts and listening for responses from users. The responses are attempted to be recognized and various actions can be performed in response to recognized speech.
Processors of computers used in IVR systems perform operations to attempt to recognize the user's speech. The processor can concurrently attempt to recognize speech of several users interacting with the IVR system over separate lines, e.g., telephone lines. The amount of the processing capacity of the processor used can vary as the number of users interacting with the system varies. During peak calling times, the capacity may be nearly fully used, or even completely used. Systems typically are designed to accommodate peak calling times.